News

News

$36 million sewer plant loan goes to Town Meeting

Voters at this spring’s Town Meeting will decide whether the town can borrow $36 million from a state loan program to replace parts of the aging Water Pollution Control Facility. The Sewer Commission made the proposal during its meeting on Thursday...

Centipedes, roly polies and mantids, oh my!

Eight-year-old Jaxon Pemberton left no log unturned during the Wareham Land Trust’s Winter Insect Hike through the Douglas S. Westgate Conservation Area on Saturday, Feb. 18. The event was made possible with a grant from the Wareham Cultural Council...

Local restauranteurs to open coastal eatery in Marion

Marc and Bree Swierkowski, the owners of Ella’s Wood Burning Oven, want to make one thing perfectly clear: Just because they are opening a new restaurant, Cast Seaside Bites and Bar in Marion, does not mean they are closing Ella’s. “I think some...

$80,000 is latest transfer to keep Elementary School lights on

Rising electricity costs prompted the School Committee to transfer $80,000 to the Elementary School’s utilities account, the latest in a series of such transfers. “It's been a perfect storm of not knowing what [energy] the new school is going to...

Boys track team makes it to ‘Meet of Champions’

The Wareham High School boys indoor track team placed third in the 4x200-meter relay at the MIAA Division 5 Championships, held in Boston on Thursday, Feb. 16. Thanks to their third place finish, the boys will go on to compete in the Meet of...

Give blood and raise a glass to help kids on Saint Patrick’s Day

When most people invite one another to have a pint on Saint Patrick’s Day, they’re thinking of beer, not blood. To Boston Children’s Hospital, however, there’s no such thing as a holiday. 365 days a year, hospital staff help young patients in...

NFL players with Viking roots tell kids to mind their manners

Wareham High School football legends returned to their alma mater on Thursday, Feb. 16, sharing their stories and inspiring the next generation. Former San Diego Chargers linebacker Stephen Cooper and current Seattle Seahawks linebacker Joshua...

School Committee seeks $35,000 in transportation funding

The School District’s transportation woes could be somewhat relieved with $35,000 in town funding, if voters approve it at Town Meeting this spring. At its meeting on Thursday, Feb. 16, the School Committee expressed its support for transfering $35,...

Don’t drop the ball: Register for Little League today

Registration for the Wareham Little League is open once again. To register, visit www.warehamlittleleague.net before April. Registration for the T-Ball division, for kids between the ages of 3 and 5, and the Farm division, for kids between the ages...

Girls softball registration now open

Registration for the Wareham Girls Softball league’s spring season is now open. Registration is open to girls from kindergarten to eighth grade. Registration costs $100 for kindergarteners through second graders and $160 for the third through eighth...

Four score and seven years old: Elementary Schoolers play presidents

Abraham Lincoln is wearing Jordans. John F. Kennedy is wearing Converse sneakers. He, Ronald Reagan and Joe Biden have their hair in ponytails. Barack Obama has pale skin, orange hair and freckles. William Henry Harrison and Franklin Pierce are too...

‘Cool’ kids can dance and paint at Onset Bay Center

The Onset Bay Center, in collaboration with the Wareham Public Schools Office of Beyond School Time, is holding the ‘coolest’ party in town on Thursday, March 9 from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Children between the ages of 2 and 7 will read the book “...

Elementary Schoolers ‘Follow the Voyage’ to earn their sea legs

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy will soon be retiring its training vessel, the TS Kennedy, in favor of a new ship. For opinions on what the new ship should look like, the Academy turned to an unlikely focus group — Elizabeth Hayes’s fourth grade...

Americana Café closing after purchase by other restaurant

The Americana Café at 208R Main St. is closing for good after being purchased by another Main Street restaurant, the Scarlet Rose Bistro . The Café announced its closure in a Wednesday, Feb. 15 Facebook post . “The decision was not made lightly,”...

Have carnitas for kitties at El Mariachi

The cat rescue nonprofit Hearts 4 Paws will host a fundraising dinner at El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant, 207 Main St., starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Hearts 4 Paws fosters, traps, spays, neuters and adopts cats of all ages and backgrounds...

Puzzle until your puzzler is sore in YMCA contest

The Gleason Family YMCA, 33 Charge Pond Road, will hold a puzzle building competition on Wednesday, Feb. 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The whole family can enjoy piecing together a 350-piece puzzle as a team. The first team to complete the puzzle wins a...

Work out to support veterans at YMCA

Approximately 22 veterans die by suicide each day. In order to raise awareness of this crisis and show the nation’s heroes from all eras that they are not alone, join Operation Ward 57 in a boot camp workout at the Gleason Family YMCA, 33 Charge...

Housing warrant, new charter signed into law

Shortly before leaving office, outgoing Governor Charlie Baker signed two laws related to Wareham. The first, which started as a vote at Town Meeting last spring, requires 50% of net proceeds from the sale of properties seized by the town for unpaid...

Swifts Beach residents plan next steps as sewer project is delayed

In an executive session on Thursday, Feb. 9, the Sewer Commission decided to delay the planned repairs of the Swifts Beach sewer line, including the controversial installation of 130 “grinder pumps” at homeowners’ expense , until after Labor Day...

Local students make it on Upper Cape Honor Roll

Here are the Wareham students who made it onto Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School’s Honor Roll and High Honor Roll during the Second Quarter: High Honor Roll: Freshmen: Leigha Cornell Logan Dematos William...

Inspect insects with the Land Trust

While insects may not be as obvious during the winter, they are still all around, tucked into protective nooks and crannies or spending the winter in non-adult forms. Join Plymouth County entomologist Blake Dinius for a bug’s-eye view of the Douglas...

Bug out at the Library

Think that insects disappear for the winter? Think again. Plymouth County entomologist Blake Dinius will showcase how insects survive the colder months at the Wareham Free Library on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. This program is sponsored by the...

Area students can turn green thumbs into greenbacks

The Greater New Bedford Garden Club is offering two $1,500 scholarships to high school seniors in the Greater New Bedford area. Eligible students must be graduating this June and planning to attend a four-year college to study horticulture,...

Onset plungers shiver for sea turtles

The Covid-19 pandemic inspired people to take up all sorts of hobbies. Most of those hobbies do not involve submerging oneself in near-freezing water once a week. Looking for a social group during the pandemic, Declan Gilvarry joined the Boston...

Fast feet and a little luck take track team over finish line

NEW BEDFORD — Wareham High School senior Fredi Gakidis got a medal for winning a game of Rock Paper Scissors. Okay, it was more complicated than that. Gakidis, who is on the High School’s indoor track team, tied for fourth place in the girls high...

Man jumps to his death from Bourne Bridge

A 32-year-old Wareham man jumped to his death from the Bourne Bridge on Saturday, Feb. 11, Bourne Police Chief Brandon M. Esip announced in a Facebook post . On Saturday night, Bourne and State Police were notified of a man climbing the bridge. When...

Garden Club offering scholarships to high school, college students

Spring is just around the corner, and along with flowers and allergies, spring brings the Wareham Garden Club’s $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors and college students. The scholarships are open to students who have lived in Wareham for at...

Bring home the bacon at Wesley UMC

Wesley United Methodist Church, 462 Main St., will hold its monthly Free Community Breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The church will serve breakfast sandwiches with a side of bacon or sausage, as well as home fries, fresh...

Retired police K-9 dies

Rolf, a retired Wareham Police K-9, has died, the Department announced in a Thursday, Feb. 9 Facebook post . According to the post, Rolf was “guided to the Rainbow Bridge” by his owner and work partner, K-9 Officer Michael Phinney. To Phinney, Rolf...

Take an Arctic plunge to save marine life

The National Marine Life Center will host an Arctic plunge at Onset Beach on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 11 a.m. All proceeds will go directly to the rehabilitation and medical care of injured, sick, and stranded seals and sea turtles at the National Marine...

Redevelopment Authority looks for ways to stay afloat

Consultants had a stark ultimatum for those who are making plans to revitalize downtown Wareham: Adapt or drown. Speaking to the Redevelopment Authority on Thursday, Feb. 9, representatives of Fuss & O’Neill and the Woods Hole Group presented...

Affordable housing, historic preservation on Town Meeting agenda

The Community Preservation Committee has voted to put eight articles on the agenda for this spring’s Town Meeting, leaving it up to voters to approve $2.5 million in open space, historical preservation and affordable housing projects. The articles...

Former Viking and NFL player will go back to his roots

Stephen Cooper, former linebacker for the San Diego Chargers and member of the Wareham High School class of 1997, will return to his hometown to deliver a motivational speech on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Cooper will be joined by his family and...

Turning Point goes ‘Mariachi’ for 20th anniversary

Turning Point will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a special dinner at El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant, 207 Main St., on Monday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. The public is invited to join the celebration, which will kick off a year of events and activities...

A winter wonderland with the Elementary School band and chorus

The fourth grade band and chorus of Wareham Elementary School embraced the winter weather with a concert of catchy tunes on Wednesday, Feb. 8. For many of the students, it was their first time performing on stage. “It’s so much fun to watch them and...

High School collecting donations for Turkey earthquake victims

Wareham High School is seeking the following donations for victims of the recent earthquake in Turkey: New or slightly-used winter coats, raincoats, boots, sweaters, gloves and scarves for adults and children New socks and underwear for adults or...

$1.65 million in grants could go to social services, housing rehab

At its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Select Board refined its plans to spend $1.65 million in Community Development Block Grant money on social services and housing rehabilitation. At a previous meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3 , Wayne Darragh, who is...

Mail-in voting here to stay, Select Board rules

At its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Select Board voted 2-1 to accept mail-in votes during this May’s Town Election. The idea of “opting out” of mail-in voting was first discussed at the Select Board’s previous meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17 , and...

Students hold parade to celebrate 100th school day

“We survived 100 days!” Yelled first grade students as they marched down the halls of Wareham Elementary school on Monday, Feb. 6. The students held a parade to celebrate the 100th day of the school year. Each student showed off a homemade vest,...

Tobey Hospital employees remember beloved coworker

Caring, humorous and hardworking were only a few of the words used to describe Tobey Hospital Health Unit Coordinator Jeanne Marie West during a vigil held in her honor on Monday, Feb. 6. West died of natural causes on Jan. 7 at the age of 72...

Meet the masons at Historical Society event

In honor of the 200th anniversary of the Social Harmony Lodge, the Wareham Historical Society will host a presentation about the history of Freemasons in Massachusetts on Monday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Methodist Meeting House, 495 Main St. The...

Poker tournament keeps ‘Scotty’s’ memory alive

Nicky Monteiro has fond memories of playing poker with his younger brother Scotty. “We always had a lot of games at my grandpa’s house,” Nicky said, adding that his grandfather was the best poker player in the family. In 2009, Scotty was murdered...

Local students make dean’s lists

Three Wareham natives have made it on the Fall 2022 semester dean’s lists at their respective colleges: Emma Bears is on the dean’s list at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts. Corrine DeAngelis is on the dean’s list at the University of Rhode...

Locals want more staff, increased programming at Library

During the Wareham Free Library’s five-year strategic planning meeting on Saturday, Feb. 4, local residents and Library stakeholders “dared to dream” of bookmobiles, little free libraries, a café and more. These “aspirations,” as management...

Family loses home in Plymouth Avenue blaze

A family of four, including two dogs, lost their home at 147 Plymouth Ave. to fire on Sunday, Feb. 5. The Wareham Fire Department responded to a call about a structure fire at 5:35 a.m. According to a Fire Department press release, no one was...

Firefighters battle flames, cold on Knowles Avenue

Thirty-two Wareham firefighters battled a fire that gutted a home at 11 Knowles Ave. on Saturday, Feb. 4. Saturday’s extremely cold temperatures, which caused the water from the firefighters’ hoses to freeze, made it take two and a half hours to...

Fire Department rescues dog that fell through ice

The Wareham Fire Department, aided by the Police Department and Department of Natural Resources, rescued a dog who fell through an icy pond on Barker Road around 7 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4. With temperatures reaching as low as-3 degrees, rescuers...

Who is Sherry Quirk? New Planning Board member talks love, law and solar

When Sherry Quirk first met her wife Norma Scogin, the two were lawyers on opposite sides of a case. Two utilities companies wanted to merge. One was based in Texas, while the other was based in New Orleans. Quirk represented the New Orleans City...

Upper Cape Tech students make MREs gourmet

Molly Petty, a junior at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School studying culinary arts, is used to mincing meat and vegetables. However, she didn't mince words when describing the quality, or lackthereof, of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) given to U.S...

Turning Point provided ‘Holiday Magic’ to over 500 kids last Christmas

545 children from 228 families received Christmas presents last year thanks to Turning Point’s Holiday Magic program. The program matched over 140 local sponsors with local families in need. “We experienced increased need this year,” Turning Point...

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